Dr. Alexandria Proff

Dr. Alexandria Proff is an Assistant Professor of Education at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah where she teaches courses in research, leadership, and change. She currently serves as the Education Program Coordinator and Department Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences. She is an educational leader who has served as a senior administrator in primary, secondary, and tertiary education settings. Through successfully leading and facilitating change initiatives in schools and universities, she has developed a successful track record as a leader of positive change for performance improvement. Dr. Proff is a teacher-trainer, leadership coach, and speaker. Whether training teachers, coaching leaders, or speaking with the public, she emphasizes the need to put theory into practice and provide teachers, leaders, and individuals with tools they can use to improve their performance and achieve their goals.

Dr. Proff earned her Doctor of Education from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California in 2018. Her interdisciplinary research is oriented around access for girls and women to various, intersecting facets related to education, leadership, and advancement in the Arabian Gulf and MENA region. Through her active research agenda, Dr. Proff aims to collaborate with researchers from different disciplines, backgrounds, and lived-experiences to engage in meaningful and reflective knowledge dissemination typically focused on under-researched segments of the population. To this end, she has been awarded two research grants over the last two years to in support of her research. In addition, Dr. Proff supervises several Graduate Students’ research in the Master of Education program, supporting students as they develop and enhance their real-world research skills.

Dr. Proff was born and raised in southern California, where she completed her Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees. She relocated to the United Arab Emirates in 2010, where she has built a meaningful career as a teacher, administrator, and educational leader.

• 2018: Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
• 2015: Certificate of Teaching English as a Foreign Language from the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
• 2009: Master of Arts in Education with a Concentration in Teaching Methodologies from Alliant International University, San Diego, California, USA.
• 2009: California Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential issued by the California Commission for Teaching Credentialing, Sacramento, California, USA.
• 2008: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a Concentration in Communication, English Minor from Alliant International University, San Diego, California, USA.

Grants and Funded Projects

• 2022: Awarded a research grant for research project titled, “Women Who Lead: Exploring Perceptions of Women Leadership Across the United Arab Emirates”.
• 2021: Awarded project grant from the Stevens Initiative for ACT: Acknowledge, Challenge, Transfrom: Toward Developing Empathetic Leadership. This international virtual exchange brought together young adults from around the world and trained them in bias, bias-reduction, and empathy.
• 2021: Awarded a research grant, to be co-authored with Dr. Fathia Elmenghawi, from the Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy research for the study, “Women’s Use of Public Space in Ras Al Khaimah”.
• 2020: Awarded an AURAK Seed Grant for a study titled, “Becoming Women: Period. Examining Barriers and Facilitators of Access to Menstrual Health Education for Girls in Pakistan”.

Highlighted Conferences and Publications:

• Proff A.A., Fatima S. and Limón M.L.S. (2023). Becoming women: period. Perceptions of barriers and facilitators to menstrual hygiene management programs for Pakistani girls. Frontiers in Public Health. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1083688.
• Elmenghawi, F., & Proff, A.A. (2022). Exploring Women and public space: A Ras Al Khaimah case study (Policy Paper No. 58). Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/aqf.0194
• Herrera, T.N. & Proff, A.A. (2022). Exploring Three Keys to Retaining Talented Teachers in the UAE: Leadership, Community, and Work-Life Balance – A Phenomenological Case Study in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. Athens Journal of Education. https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.X-Y-Z

Graduate Research Supervision

• Anticipated submission 2024: Examining the Role of Gender in Parent-Teacher Communication in the UAE. Graduate research with Ms. Shayma Al Shehhi for the Master of Education program.
• Anticipated submission 2024: Creating Classroom Belonging Among Cycle One Public Schools in the UAE. Graduate research with Ms. Halima Al Shehhi for the Master of Education program.

• EDUC 511: Introduction to Applied Research
• EDUC 515: Educational Psychology for Inclusive Learning
• EDUC 525: Theories and Applications of Leadership
• EDUC 545: Budgeting and Resource Management
• EDUC 620: Evaluation of Instruction for Continuous Improvement
• EDUC 640: Inclusive Leading of Diverse Groups
• EDUC 660: Organizational Change and Continuous Improvement
• EDUC 675: Educational Policy and Community Engagement
• EDUC 680: Applied Research I
• EDUC 685: Analytics for Data Driven Leadership
• EDUC 695: Applied Research II